« Le Onzième » Tachkent : « Uzbekgoskino » 1928

This rare 1928 poster, designed by O. Mikhail Dlugach, promotes “The Eleventh” (Odinnadtsatyi), an experimental film by the visionary Soviet filmmaker Dziga Vertov. Produced for Uzbekgoskino in Tashkent, the poster reflects the bold visual identity of early Soviet cinema and its expansion into Central Asia.

The composition is dominated by the monumental numeral “11”, framing the silhouette of a worker sounding a trumpet—an image that reads as both a literal announcement and a symbolic call to progress. The diagonal typography and strong graphic contrasts create a sense of urgency and forward motion, perfectly aligned with the revolutionary spirit of the late 1920s.

Stylistically, the work is firmly rooted in Constructivism. The simplified forms, integration of text and image, and dynamic composition reflect the movement’s ambition to create a new visual language for a new society. The worker figure, reduced to a powerful silhouette, becomes an emblem of collective identity and industrial modernity.

“The Eleventh” refers to the eleventh year of Soviet power, symbolizing a decade of transformation and the emergence of a new socialist world. The film itself is closely tied to the vast project of electrification of the USSR, particularly in the Donbas region, presenting industry, energy, and labor as the foundations of progress.

Vertov described the film as being “written directly with the camera, without a script,” emphasizing his belief in cinema as a pure documentary language—the language of facts. Shot in collaboration with cinematographer Mikhail Kaufman, the work exemplifies his radical approach to filmmaking.

Despite its importance, “The Eleventh” long remained one of Vertov’s lesser-known films, only receiving a proper commercial release decades later. This relative obscurity adds to the rarity and significance of original promotional material such as this poster.

With its striking geometry, bold typography, and ideological clarity, this piece stands as an exceptional example of 1920s Soviet avant-garde graphic design, where cinema, politics, and art converge to express the ambitions of a rapidly transforming society.

Original Poster

Cinema - Advertising - Ukraine

Dziga Vertov's film "The Eleventh" is the first of three films the director shot in Ukraine, and is perhaps the one in his oeuvre most closely linked thematically to the project of universal electrification of the new USSR in general and the Donbas region in particular.

Unfortunately, this film remains one of the least known and most underrated in Vertov's entire silent filmography. The main reason for this neglect is that it was only released commercially in 2009.

"The Eleventh" refers to the eleventh year of Soviet power, the eleventh year of the new country, the eleventh year of the new socialist life and new work.

On February 28, 1928, Dziga Vertov said of the film: "The film 'The Eleventh' was written directly with the camera, without a script. The camera replaces the screenwriter's pen." “Eleventh” is written in pure cinematic language, in documentary language—the language of facts—and in socialist language.
Director of Photography Mikhail Kaufman

Printed in Kiev

Good condition, some creases, restorations